


Willing and Able

by demishock



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, IgNoct, Ignoct Week, M/M, ignoctweek, scary!Ignis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 17:03:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20100625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demishock/pseuds/demishock
Summary: Noctis has known Ignis his whole life. Ignis is the kindest, most generous and selfless person he's ever met… when it comes tohim.





	Willing and Able

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ignoct week 2019, for the Day 6 prompt, "Bones Break Easily."
> 
> This ended up set earlier in the game than I originally intended, but oh well. Maybe I can repurpose the other thought for another time. The main point was to use some version of the exchange between these two that made me start shipping them in the first place, and I accomplished that, so... success! For those who aren't familiar with it, that's probably because it never made it into the final game; it's a conversation they had waaaaaaaay back in 2011 during one of the Versus XIII trailers. I've never quite gotten over it.
> 
> I tried to channel whatever weird mood I was in when I wrote "Badge of Honor" for this one; hopefully people enjoy it. At any rate, I think we can all agree that Ignis is freaking scary when he's mad. And that it's kind of awesome.
> 
> Unfortunately, I also missed Day 5. :( And I was hoping to deliver something longer for Day 6 to make up for it, but then my body decided to reject that idea in favor of giving me a tension headache, so this is all I've got. XD; /TMI

For once, the others retire to the tent before Noctis. It's been a long couple of days, and he's as exhausted as any of them, but he knows he can't sleep right now. He has two Royal Arms humming in his blood, and he's restless. Angry. Betrayed.

Scared.

Today has been a performance. He knows he has to keep his cool - that he has a lot more responsibility now. He has to be strong - has to lead. Who he's leading anymore or where he's leading them to, he doesn't know. But his friends, at least, are looking to him to decide their next move, so he tries to bottle it up, focuses on following Cor's instructions, and tries not to think too much.

But now, away from the others and overlooking the Hunters' outpost where what little remains of the Crownsguard has gathered, the weight of it all slams down on him, hard. Having just trawled the ruins of what used to be one of Lucis's great cities, and seen for himself just how badly his country is really faring beyond the safety of the Wall he's been living behind all this time…

He's been so naïve.

It's pathetic.

'The protected,' indeed.

Come morning, they'll be infiltrating an enemy base, but Noctis can't help feeling like it's too little, too late. They've already lost. They lost years ago.

What had his dad been _thinking_?

He'll never get to ask him, now.

It's all just too much.

Noctis has been preparing his whole life to ascend to the throne, and now that the moment has come, there's no longer a throne to ascend to. This isn't how it was supposed to go, and his dad hadn't even had the decency to let him in on the plan.

Cor had told him that he'd just wanted to be Noctis's father in that moment.

Well, Noctis just wants to go home, but the old adage is true, as it turns out: you can't always get what you want.

So he sits in the dark, staring into the campfire and trying to imagine what he's going to do to the Emperor of Niflheim - what he's going to do to his father's _murderer_ \- once they catch up to him.

It isn't a pretty thought.

Even as furious as he is, he's not sure he has the stomach for it.

He hears movement behind him, and Ignis appears at his side a moment later. Noctis had thought the others would all be asleep by now, but he supposes he should have known better. Worrying about him is Ignis's favorite hobby, after all.

Ignis hands him a steaming mug of what turns out to be some sort of broth, and of course he does, because he's never been fooled by Noctis's various tactics around mealtime. Clearly, Noctis didn't do a convincing enough job earlier of pushing the food around his plate.

Noctis knows he should eat, and that he should try to get some rest. He knows they're all counting on him to keep his strength up. But his insides are twisted in knots and his thoughts are chasing themselves in circles and everything feels so _pointless_.

He accepts the offering anyway, even though he has no intention of sampling its contents, and Ignis takes a seat beside him. Noctis knows that he'll stay there, ignoring his own need for sleep until Noctis retreats to his bedroll. Part of him resents being watched over. Part of him is grateful for it. And part of him wishes Ignis would just take care of _himself_ for a change.

Just like everything else… it's complicated.

"Tell me you have a plan," Noctis implores him, since he knows Ignis isn't going anywhere and this topic is foremost on his mind. "Something ten times worse than theirs."

He doesn't have to elaborate on who 'they' are.

Ignis's eyes are obscured by the firelight as it glints off his glasses, and Noctis feels a chill creep up his spine despite the fire and the warm mug in his hands. Noctis is all bluff and bluster, but at the end of the day, he has too much mercy in him. He doesn't know if fear and heartache will be enough for him to take on the entire Empire by himself.

Ignis, though…

Noctis has known Ignis his whole life. Ignis is the kindest, most generous and selfless person he's ever met… when it comes to _him_. But he's seen the darkness that lurks below the surface of Ignis's polite demeanor, in the way he gets protective - almost possessive - whenever Noctis is in any kind of danger. He knows that Ignis is capable of things that Noctis could only ever rant about in anger.

Ignis can be genuinely terrifying when he needs to be.

Right now, Noctis needs him to be.

He can't do this alone.

"Oh, Noct," Ignis says quietly, barely audible over the crackling logs. "You have my word: I'll come up with a way to pay them back a _hundred_fold."

And Noctis has no doubt that he will, with that brilliant, beautiful brain of his. It's not cluttered and chaotic like Noctis's is; Ignis has a type of clarity that Noctis could only ever dream of. Ignis will do whatever needs to be done to take their home back from these lying, peace-ruining bastards, and he'll do it _for Noctis_.

And Noctis…

Noctis will take comfort in his cruelty.


End file.
